Author: Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has asked three Democratic members of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Committee, an independent executive branch agency, to resign by the end of the day on Thursday or face being fired, a source close to the PCLOB said on Wednesday .
The three members are Speaker Sharon Bradford Franklin and two others selected by the Democratic administration, Edward Felten and Travis LeBlanc. They could not immediately be reached for comment.
Republican President Donald Trump, who took office on Monday, has vowed to purge civil servants and officials who do not adhere to his goals and intends to strip tens of thousands of federal workers of job protections.
The PCLOB is tasked with ensuring that the federal government’s programs to prevent extremism are consistent with protecting civil liberties and privacy. The committee was established on the recommendation of the September 11, 2004 Commission following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The The New York Times (NYSE: ) previously reported that the White House sent letters to three Democratic members of the PCLOB on Tuesday night. The White House had no immediate comment.
The PCLOB can have a maximum of five members, but no more than three can be from the presidential party. The fifth seat on the board has been vacant for years, and the departure of three Democrats will leave the board with only one active member for now.
